Canal Route Causes Anger

HISTORIC monuments at Liverpool’s Pier Head could be dismantled and removed to pave the way for the building of Britain’s first new canal for more than a century.

British Waterways, which manages 2,000 miles of canals in the UK, wants to relocate the King Edward VII monument and the Sir Alfred Lewis Jones memorial from the Pier Head.

The King Edward VII will return to its original home while the Sir Alfred Lewis statue will be moved to a new site in the docklands area.

The plan was put forward as the canal company submitted a last- minute application to change the route.

The revised course would lead to the West Waterloo Dock being filled in, a proposal that has angered local residents.

Chairman of the Residents’ Association Tony O’Leary said: “When we bought these apartments, the attraction was that we were overlooking the water.”

Kirkdale Cllr Malcolm Kennedy added: “We have had no indication of what might be built on the in-filled dock, and I find that dishonest.

“Changes could delay the project.

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